SK Bio signs informal agreement with U.S. company to acquire shares in the future, demonstrates advanced technology in vaccine protein production - South Korean media

SK Biosciences, which is engaged in the biopharmaceutical business, has acquired US biotech company Sunflower Therapeutics.
The company has invested $2 million (USD, approximately 300 million yen) in Sunflower Therapeutics and signed a short-term equity agreement (SAFE) with Sunflower.
Sunflower was established in 2018 and owns the "yeast culture system" technology for producing proteins necessary for developing antigens, antibodies, etc.
By simplifying and shortening the vaccine manufacturing process, we will increase the efficiency of vaccine development and production. In particular, we have proprietary technology in the field of perfusion culture. By utilizing this technology,
It is possible to produce a wide variety of enzymes, cytokines, hormones, and other microorganisms in a stable and high ratio in small quantities. SK Biosciences is supporting the development of the vaccine at Korea's vaccine development center, "Andong L House."
It has been confirmed that the introduction of Nflour's "yeast culture system" can improve production efficiency by up to 7.7 times, which can reduce the cost per dose by 88.7% compared to conventional methods.
Prior to this, the two companies had collaborated on the research and development of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2023. SK Bioscience will now take on the role of director of Sunflower at the time of its IPO.
The two companies are exploring ways to expand their technical cooperation as well as to maximize the corporate value of the joint venture.